High-potential condenser



D. T. MAY.

HIGH POTENTIA-L CONDENSER.

APPLICATION FILED nov. 3. |911.

Patented June '24, 1919.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

-nAvID 1T. MAY, or NEW YORK, N. Y., AssrGNOn To 'WEsTEnN'ELEcraIc COMPANY,

A-INcoaBosnian, or NEW Yoan, N. Y., a CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

HIGH-POTENTIAL coNnnNsEa T0 du may concern.' Beit known. that I, DAVID'T. MAY, acitii zien of. the United States, residing at New York, inthe county of New York and State of N ew` York,have" invented certainneW-and useful Improvements in High-Potential Concondensers. f

Specication of Letters Patent.

and therefore thefelectric. ressure, is greatlest at "thel edges ofjtheg'p ates or coatings.

The dielectric'jstressftherefore concentrates y at these edges,although atfotherpoints between-the-plates the stress maybe nearly uniform,V This? concentration ofthe electric Y pressure is i evidenced by minute discharges `or .stre'amers that passv from the awnings a ,the aielearia'whi-Ch discharges may be considered to be the charge and dischargefc'urrents of elementary condense'rs composed of the-metallicy coatings 'and the f partially conducting surfaces of the dielectrica This playin Aof the streamers over the p surface ofthedie ect'ric causes local heating danger of .the dielectric becoming heated in the latter, due to its poor conductivity, 1 thereby subjecting it to additional stresses.

By-reasonofthe concentration of thestress,

materials and constructed after the manner o f'Leyden jars, almost alwaysbreak down.

this concentration of 'thef'stress near the -thereof. v I y In Flg. 1 vis shown a condenser of the- Patented June 24, 1919.

, fmppl'iemgn med'November a. 1917. serial No. 200,077.

conductivity of the additional metallic pleces.

This invention will be better understood by. reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows one form of this invention, in which metallic caps are employed'to accomplishthe objects above set forth; and Fig. 2 shows a modification Leyden jar type having an inner metallic plate 5 and an outer plate 6 wtha dielectric 7 therebetween, which extends for some distance beyond the upper edges 8, v8 of the n over the edges A8, 8 of Y the plates'are two metallic caps 9, 9 which plates. E Xtendin are suitably attached to the dielectric but are electrically separated from the plates by the air gaps 10,.10andf11, 11 the latter pa1r beingthe greateru When'a condenser eq-u1ppedw1th these capsis connected to a source of high potential, it is found that lcondensers made of glass, porcelain or other edges of the plates so as to Aeliminate all and` being punctured. This is accomplished by attaching to the condenser near the points of the stress concentration, metallic pieces,

or caps which are` separated fromthe edges v of the main metallic coating by alr gaps of the streamers over the dielectric. Stress due to local heating will also be avoided bythis arrangement on account of the good heat thestreamers no longer'pla over the surfaces ofthe dielectric but' t at sparkspass across the gaps 10, 10'.' In'this way, the

' stress at the edges ofthe plates 5 and 6 isk .,considerablyrelieved, and the interpositionvof the air-gaps 10, 10 in the path Yof the `current =cuts' it down to -a point where streamers are 'not'` produced to an injurious extent at the 'edges 12, 12 of the caps.'v If 1t 1s desired, aplural'ityofcaps-may be eml p loyed, each'one beingseparated from the preceding one by air aps of suitable dimensions. VAHerein an adit 15, 15 is 4shown to which sparks may pass Y if the stress at' the edges 12,12 becomes The object of thisV inventionis to relieve suiiiciently large for a .discharge to occur across the air gaps 16, 16. It is preferable that the gaps 10, 1 0 should be smaller than the gaps 11, 11', because sparking occurring `across `the shorter pair of gaps will beto those portions of the metallic caps from ional pair of caps given with reference Fig. 1, harmless sparking will occur across gaps 23, 23 on charging up the condenser to a high potenvtial,'thereby preventing the formation of injurious streainers. vIf desired, a plurality of pairs of metallic rings may be employed whereby additional spark gaps will be provided. Herein two additional pairs 25, 25 and 26, 2G are shown, thereby formin the spark gaps 28, 28, 29, 29. Any ten ency for the production of the streamers, due to stress concentration adjacent to rings 20, 20', is avoided since the energy will bejdissipated by sparking to pieces 30, 30. Simi' larly, sparking across gaps 29, 29 will prevent streamers being formed due to stress concentration adjacent to rings 25, 25.

This invention is not limited to the two modifications above described, as it is evident to one skilled in the art that it may be embodied in various other forms without departing: in any wise from the spirit of this invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination with a high potential condenser comprising Aa vdielectric having conducting plates on opposite sides thereof, of means including spark gaps perpendicular -to said plates whereby injurious streamers are prevented from playing over the surface of said dielectric. f

2. The combination with a high potential condenser comprising adielectric having portions. of its opposite vsides covered by 'f conducting plates, of means including spark gaps perpendicular to said' plates whereby the` electrical stress concentration at the edges of the vconducting plates is 'relieved without injuring said dielectric.

Y 3. A high potential condenser comprising a dielectric having a portion of its opposite sides covered by, conductingl plates, and ad y ditional conducting pieces adjacent to the.

edges ofrsaid conducting-plates but out of y -a dielectric having the major-portions of vits oppositesides'covered by metallic coatings y and an additional metallic conductor on one j side of said. dielectric 'and adjacent to thel metallic coating on saidy r*side `butout of alineinent therewith, being electrically sepajvvdielectric` and extending over, the

opposite sides covered by metallic coatings,

and an additional metallic conductor on one side of said dielectric, a portion ofsaid conductor being bent away from said dielectric' .so as to eXtend over the upper edges ofthe dielectric coating whereby the concentration of the electrical stress at the' upper edges of the dielectric'coating maybe diminished.

f6. A high potential condenser comprising a dielectric having the major portions of its opposite sides covered by metallic'coatings, and an additional metallic conductor -on each side of said dielectric, a portion ofeach'.

of said conductors being attached to said dielectric, 4with another portion adjacent to' the upper edges of its respective coating bel ing bent away from said dielectric whereby the undesirable electrical stress concentration may be diminished.

7. A high potential condenser` comprising a dielectric having the major portions of its opposite sides covered by-metallic coatings,

and a plurality ofv metallic` conductors on each side ofsaid dielectricya portion'ofeach p Iconductor being attached to saidk dielectric Aand that portion of each conductor nearest the ,upper edges of the metalliccoating on its side of the dielectricl being "electrically separated from the dielectric f immediately undesirable electrical stress'- concentration may be avoided. Y. A

8. A highpotential condenser'comprising adjacent thereto'by anl airspace whereby the j I a dielectric having the major portions of its opposite sides covered by metallic coatings,

and a metalliccap attached tothe exposed part of said dielectric and extending over theedges of each of said metallic coatings.l

9. A hi h potential condenser comprisin ings, ametallic cap attached to the exposed and a `second metallic cap attached to said ed es ofwsaid rstcap. Y f ln=witness whereof, I hereunto 'subscribe ynaine this, 30th day of `October D., 191 l D Avinfr. MAY.A

adielectrlc having the major portions o its opposite sides covered by metallic` catvupper f iic 

